Long-Term Employment

When a UCSB department opens recruitment for a full-time position (either teaching or non-teaching), there is a window of opportunity which opens to allow international applicants. By planning ahead, departments will be able to select candidates from a much wider pool of applicants.

Obtaining an employment visa is much easier with a bit of advance planning. Gathering information and documents during the recruitment process can save departments a lot of time if an international applicant is selected for a position. These documents will be required for the international employment visa application and perhaps Permanent Resident Status (green card). The process is PERMLabor Certification.

A Window of Opportunity for U.S. Permanent Resident Status (Green Card)

The process begins with the recruitment. In addition to the usual UCSB-required recruitment materials, some additional documentation and clearances are required to hire an international applicant. OISS can help—ideally at the beginning of the recruitment, before there is a specific individual selected for the position.

At the point of selection you may learn that your selectee is a foreign national, but if you have made preparations with OISS’s help, as part of your recruitment, your department will be ready. You will have Department of Labor approval for the salary level and the materials necessary for the Labor Certification Application, the groundwork for the green card. Labor Certification is not permission to work; it is permission granted to an employer or prospective employer to sponsor a foreign national employee for U.S. Permanent Resident status.

For a UCSB tenure or tenure-track position, departments will need to show that the foreign national was the best qualified applicant for the position. OISS can assist with this process. Please use this Document Planning Checklist and consult with OISS (longtermvisa@sa.ucsb.edu) to plan for obtaining employment permission for the position. The OISS Position Worksheet is a good place to start. If an international applicant is selected for the position, then—depending on the particular situation and their U.S. visa history—OISS can begin to work on securing employment permission with a good amount of the groundwork already in place. In some cases, it may be helpful for the employee to start with an H-1B visa while waiting for a long-term visa or green card.

For any other full-time career position, departments will need to show that the foreign national was the only applicant who met the minimum requirements for the position. Departments should consult with OISS about obtaining a referral to UCSB's external immigration counsel for processing the PERM Labor Certification.